spatter papers

Another form of PASTE
PAPERS . A very thin mixture of colored paste
is applied to the paper by rubbing a stiff
paste-charged brush across a hair sieve, which is
held well above the paper and moved across the
surface of the sheet as the fine specks of color
are sprayed through it. Three or four colors are
generally used in making these papers, which are
often executed on a colored paper background.

This simple form of decoration was used for the
sides of half bindings in calfskin and sheepskin
in the early 19th century. They were produced all
over Europe until about 1850, and were used as
endpapers in books with marbled-paper covers but
seldom for bindings in full leather.

A variation of this paper, used in France, England
and the United States in the latter part of the
19th century, consisted of dull gray-blue or
lavender-purple paper spattered with coarse black
spots. This was done by striking a brush filled
with color on a bar and distributing the color as
it fell over the surface of the paper. These
papers were used as covers for inexpensive books
but seldom for endpapers. The earlier examples had
a dull finish, but others, used mainly for music
scores, had a glossy surface. This type of spatter
paper was sometimes hung up before it was dry, the
surplus color running down across the paper in
uneven streaks. This dribbled pattern is almost
always found in tones of brown or orange and
black, and is considered by many to be less
appealing than the simpler spatter papers. (217 )